The 2023 updated
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. label for their product discloses three different antibiotics:
bacitracin zinc 400 units,
neomycin sulfate 3.5 mg, and
polymyxin B sulfate 5,000 units, in a relatively low-molecular-weight base of
petroleum jelly,
cottonseed oil,
olive oil, and
cocoa butter, and with
sodium pyruvate and
tocopheryl acetate. The generic name for these products, regardless of the base, is "triple antibiotic ointment". In China, this product (with lidocaine HCl) is named "FONOW® Ointment (孚诺®软膏, Compound Polymyxin B Ointment)" and is exclusively manufactured and sold by
Zhejiang Fonow Medicine Co. Ltd. The product was also marketed by the
Upjohn Company under the name "Mycitracin", until 1997 when that name was acquired by Johnson & Johnson.
Active ingredients The three main active ingredients in Neosporin are
neomycin sulfate,
polymyxin B sulfate, and
bacitracin zinc. Neomycin belongs to the aminoglycoside class of antibiotics and fights against
Gram positive and
gram negative bacteria. The antibiotic is often used to prevent risk of bacterial infections.
Aminoglycosides work by binding to bacterial
RNA and changing the ability to produce proteins while exerting little to no effect on
DNA. Thus, neomycin kills bacteria as a result of irregular protein production in the bacterial cell. When the cell can no longer produce the correct proteins, its membrane becomes damaged. As a result of damaged membrane, the affected bacterial cells die, and the infection is prevented or limited.
Pramoxine is used to temporarily reduce pain from burns, insect bites, and minor cuts. It works like an anesthetic by decreasing the permeability of neuron membranes. As a result, pain neurons in the area have difficulty sending signals (or signals are blocked entirely), resulting in numbness. In some countries bacitracin is replaced with
gramicidin. The original Neosporin contained this combination. == History ==